Glass Hearts, Crystal Tears
by yanagi-chan
Summary: This is my first crossover fic. If you're looking for the usual anime pairings and plot, then don't bother reading this. I just toss the characters around like Caesar's salad and pour the mayo when I see fit.
1. Chapter 1

(NOTE: This is my first crossover fic. If you're looking for the usual anime pairings and plot, then don't bother reading this. I just toss the characters around like Caesar's salad and pour the mayo when I see fit. No flames or unnecessary comments please---this is MY FIC and I write it the way I feel like it and before you shoot out anything, Yanagi here is Sakoshita Yanagi from FOR, not me. I just happened to have the same name.Don't choke on my story, it's not for those suffering heartburn.)  
  
Standard disclaimers apply...am too lazy to add more of my own I have enough trouble writing this fic y'know.)  
  
Glass Hearts, Crystal Tears  
  
Yanagi woke up to the shrill ringing of her alarm clock. Lazily, she pushed away the thick woolen comforter that encased her slender frame like a cocoon.  
  
"Grmmphh..." she mumbled half-asleep. "Why did I set that darn clock so early? I must be having a screw loose of some sort."  
  
The pretty chestnut-haired girl wriggled complainingly, struggling to pull herself out of the comfy bed. Through bleary eyes, she reached out to shut off the clock on her nightstand.   
  
"Now where's that calendar," she grumbled drowsily, rummaging through the cluttered bureau for her daily reminder book. Finally, long, slim hands came in contact with the soft, buttery leather of the tiny book.  
  
"Masaka! Today's supposed to be my first day of school? How in the world could I have overlooked this? Yare, yare..."  
  
Hurriedly, she threw together her school stuff in a brown satchel, grabbed a couple of towels and headed for the bathroom. In 15 minutes flat, a slighlty damp but fresh and clean Yanagi emerged from the room, all dressed up in her new school uniform.  
  
"Nice outfit sis," a teasing voice greeted her as she entered the warm yellow and white kitchen. Yellow. Her mom was always a sucker for pastels, Yanagi mused to herself. She turned her attention at the figure buried behind a newspaper, seated comfortably in the kitchen table.  
  
"If you'd taken time to actually look at me, you'd have never said that," she retorted while grabbing a piece of toast from the platter and smearing it with orange jelly.  
  
Soujiro looked up from his morning news and stared, quite amusingly, at his younger sister--- well, half sister anyway but it didn't really matter. She was a lot closer to him than any of his relatives all lumped together and she did resemble him a bit with that child-like features of hers that would probably take centuries to wrinkle.  
  
"What's that rag you're wearing," he pointed at the long, forest green scarf carefully knotted underneath his sister's neatly pressed blouse.  
  
"This rag you're so tactfully referring too," Yanagi explained prissily as if SHE were the older sibing, "is more commonly known as a scarf brother dear, unless you have forgotten what a scarf looks like considering your most uncommon taste in clothing."  
  
Soujiro examined his own outfit--- a light blue shirt and worn-out dungarees that would have kept falling down his hips were it not for the piece of rope which he used as a belt. To top it all off, he was wearing a pair of wooden sandals, the straps consisting of different pieces of colored cloth which he used to tie and retie the ends together.  
  
"Why? What's wrong with what I'm wearing? Do I look awful in it?"  
  
Yanagi merely shook her head. She really didn't know how to answer that question. When Soujiro threw questions like that you're way, you're required to think at least three times before you could cough up a good comeback. It was, after all, a well-known fact that even if her brother wore a gunny sack, nobody would even bother to notice for they would all be too busy gawking at his flawless face. Her brother, she thought diffidently, had a certain innocent look about him that gave his over-all boyish looks an irresistible quality that even she had to admit was way beyond the word "beautiful." And as if Kami-sama was not satisfied when he created Soujiro, He gave the guy BRAINS. Yes, a rare commodity in most men nowadays. But Soujiro didn't merely have brains. He had it in such abundance that teachers in school aim to please him and not the other way around. PLUS, and this is far too much, even for her own brother whom she loved dearly, Soujiro had CHARM. Charm--- a four-letter word that no amount of money could buy and no amount of practice could perfect. Charm was inborn, inherent. Charm was Soujiro's P.H.D. Naturally, at this point, Yanagi thought it best not to anymore answer her brother's question lest she would wind up making a complete idiot of herself. Never answer the obvious, was her shield against Soujiro's taunts.  
  
Soujiro eyed his sister with undisguised amusement. She was so predictable it really cracked him up to watch her fidget and grope for a good comeback. She was too naive, Soujiro assessed, and much to cautious. She doesn't like to be caught unarmed in a verbal tussle but she usually winds up being hit from all sides. Well, that's Yanagi for you. She's so concerned about what others are thinking she winds up revealing every little emotion that's passing through her. Feeling a little sorry for once again jumbling his sister's thoughts, Soujiro made a little peace offering to Yanagi.  
  
"Need a lift sis?"  
  
"I don't know..." Yanagi trailed off suspiciously. What's he up to now? Is he kidding me, Yanagi thought to herself. Soujiro was a college stude and it was the unwritten law that college studes NEVER, EVER dare to mingle with the high school pack. It was a social blunder of the worst degree. But then, he's not just any other college snob---he was her brother. Darn! It's really hard trying to read what's going on in that devious mind of his.  
  
"Why not? Is your boyfriend picking you up?"  
  
"Nani? Oniisan, you nut! You know very well I DON"T HAVE a boyfriend," Yanagi ranted at a grinning Soujiro. "I bet it'd snow in July first before any guy would even come up to me," she mumbled.  
  
"Awww c'mon sis, you're not that bad. Well, maybe you could be a little less uptight. Guys don't like girsl that act prissy all the time."  
  
"You heard me?!"  
  
"Loud and clear."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Secret."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"Do you really need to know?"  
  
"Yes! I mean, no, not really...oh...damn you're impossible oniisan."  
  
"So are you going to let me give you a lift or not?" Suddenly, thoughts of her new school entered Yanagi's mind in a flurry of images. She was going to be the "new girl" and that only translated into one thing--- the butt of all school jokes. Being the new girl meant being a sacrificial lamb, a pawn in the hands of merciless snobs who would make her go through the most embarrassing initiation rites in order to find out if she measured up to their expectations. A sick feeling crawled all over her, like nausea of some sort. Maybe it would indeed be a good thing to have her sensational brother along and at least make the "right" impression even if it would be only temporary. Besides, he was in a particularly generous mood this morning and that should be taken advantage of.  
  
"Ok, you can drop me off. Just don't say anything to anyone who comes up onegai?" she implored, her brown eyes holding his dark ones.  
  
Soujiro smiled gently at his sister. She was such a baby sometimes. No wonder he couldn't let her loose in that snooty school all by herself. Yanagi didn't really know it but her naivete ways was her main attraction and high school wolves are quick to sniff the scent of new conquest, especially someone so sweet as his sister.  
  
"Daijoubo, I'm not that bad. I promise I'll keep my mouth shut. Now let's go." 


	2. Chapter 2

~~~~~~~000~~~~~~~  
  
"Hmmm...not bad. This place is almost as good as Meiou," Soujiro commented as he parked his steel blue Kharman Ghia in the school parking lot. Beside him, Yanagi chewed on her lower lip nervously as she scanned the lush grounds of the campus. Silver Slate High not only sounded like a high class prep school, it looked exactly the way a classy prep school should with its ostentatiously designed buildings and well-manicured lawns.   
  
"Dad must have been out of his mind when he insisted in sending me here. This is so way out of my league." Yanagi said brokenly, her fingers clamped tightly in her lap. Soujiro felt sorry for her, but couldn't really disagree with what she just said. His sister was really pretty and smart but she was definitely not a snob. She was too vulnerable and sensitive. Soujiro deeply doubted Yanagi would last 5 minutes in a set-up like this. A sudden feeling of overprotectiveness came over him like being immersed in lukewarm water on a cold afternoon. The heat washed over his senses and spread throughout his entire male ego, provoking him to stay and not leave her alone. It was weird, he thought, he usually didn't care much about his sister's activities, much less something so trivial as this---her first day in high school. Maybe it's that "big brother" syndrome his friend Setsuna was always telling about. Setsuna had always gone bonkers whenever anything happened to his younger sister Sarah, Soujiro could very well attest to that. Maybe some of it is rubbing off on him too, Soujiro thought to himself as he continued to stare at his sister's downcast face.  
  
"Sis...you okay?" he asked, his voice heavy with worry.  
  
Yanagi took a deep breath and clutched her school bag very tightly, her knuckles growing white.  
  
"I...I think so. Hai, I'll be fine."  
  
"If you want, I could come with you to the principal's office to get your schedule. I won't do anything silly, I promise. I'll just walk you to your first class and scram."  
  
Yanagi smiled gratefully at him. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that her oniisan would be this supportive. It was totally out of character for someone who would usually do nothing but taunt and tease her to no end. But then, she had to admit Soujiro had been a shade nicer to her ever since she had graduated from being a "sniveling brat" as he would often call her.  
  
"It's ok oniisan, I'll muddle through somehow. Thanks a lot for the lift. I really appreciate it," she gave him another grateful smile as she slid out of the car and started towards the pebbled pathway leading to the huge double doors of the imposing structure.  
  
"Matte!"  
  
Yanagi turned back. "Hai? Doushita no?"  
  
"You sure you'll be ok?" Dark eyes mirrored sincere concern.  
  
"Hai, I'll be fine. Stop worrying oniisan. I'm not as naive as I look," she assured him, a teasing smile curling at the corners of her mouth.  
  
Soujiro watched a bit anxiously as his sister disappeared inside the large school building, her long maple-colored locks rustling ever so softly with each jaunty step she took. I must be getting old, he mused to himself. Maybe this is full-blown maturity setting in. He shook in his head in disbelief at the realization that he was acting more like a mother hen than an older brother to his little sister.   
  
"I really have to stop hanging around Setusna," he muttered, "that strange affliction he has for Sarah is getting contagious."  
  
The blue convertible sped off from the campus grounds in violent speed, causing the walking students to jump aside in fear and annoyance at the angry roar of the engines. Behind the heavy glass panes at the very top floor of the school building, a pair of slanting silver eyes carefully watched as the Kharman Ghia sped out of the grounds and into the busy highway. 


	3. Chapter 3

~~~~~~~000~~~~~~~  
  
Yanagi stood awkwardly near the lockers in the immaculately clean hallway. The meeting with the principal wasn't so bad, she recalled, but after he had given her her class schedule and her locker assignment, she was once again left on her own, like a lone soldier marching into battle. Only this battlefield didn't come with dust and grime and blood-coated armies. Instead, she found herself in the midst of confident-looking students all looking sensational in their freshly ironed uniforms.   
  
"And everyone seems to know exactly what they're doing and where they're going," Yanagi mumbled to herself, "except me. I feel like a salmon swimming upstream when everyone else is headed in the opposite direction."  
  
A crowd of noisy students passed by her, nearly pinning her to the row of lockers. She pressed herself as flatly as she could against the cold steel for fear that she might bump into anyone and embarass herself to no end. One of the girls in boisterous group stopped right in front of her and gave Yanagi a cold, calculating stare.  
  
"You're blocking my way," the girl said to her in a haughty voice. Yanagi's throat went dry with nervousness. Her brown eyes fluttered in apparent unease as she tried hard not to look back into the girl's snapping ebony eyes. The girl started to tap her foot in impatience.  
  
"Are you deaf or something? I said, you're in my way. That's my locker you're lounging in."  
  
Yanagi quickly stepped aside, still trying to find her voice. The girl looked at her disdainfully, tossing back her long flaxen hair. The other students behind her snickered, obviously enjoying Yanagi's predicament. The girl opened her locker, took out a couple of books and slammed the locker door shut with an irritating clang.  
  
"What're you looking at," she spat. "You new here?"  
  
"Ye...yes."  
  
"It figures. Newbies like you keep sprouting all over this school like weeds. You want to survive in this hellhole? Take my advice and stay out of my way. I could make life really good or really miserable for you so you'd better watch your step. What's your name?" she looked at Yanagi with pure distaste, studying every detail.  
  
She's pretty, Yui observed in disgust, and she has an air of daintiness around her that guys find irresistibly appealing. No sense in having a potential rival around, Yui thought. I'll have to put this princess in her place before she could take root.  
  
"Ya...Yanagi."  
  
"Listen here Yanagi, " Yui spoke to the trembling girl in her most icy tone, "I'm Yui and I'm a junior, way older and more superior than you or any other silly dame in this stupid school. Now the first thing you need to learn is that there are rules around here, rules you newbies need to engrave into your heads and one of them is that you should NEVER---and I mean NEVER, get in my way, and that includes staying near my territory," she pointed at her locker. This part of the hallway is reserved for us," she indicated at her sniggering group, "and you losers don't belong here and unless you want to be miserable for the rest of your life, I really think you should keep this little info in mind. You understand, don't you princess?"  
  
"Yes...yes Yui-san. Gomen...gomen nasai, it won't happen again."  
  
"See that it doesn't."  
  
Yanagi stared fearfully at the retreating figure of Yui accompanied by her snooty clique. Tears started to form inside her eyes. She had prepared herself for the worst but she hadn't expected to have a most unpleasant encounter with the "in" group on her very first day of class.  
  
"I'm such a wimp," she reprimanded herself. "I should've stood up to her." A short laugh escaped her lips. "Stood up? That's funny! How could a mousy-looking nobody like me stand up against Ms. Popularity? Face it Yanagi, you're really pathetic. I should've taken up oniisan's offer to accompany me, at least it would have saved me from that ugly scene."  
  
The shrill alarm of the school bells resounded throughout the hallways, cutting through Yanagi's thoughts. Hurriedly, she located her locker and threw her books inside.   
  
"First period---English literature, Bellwhistle Hall." She scanned her schedule again and again. "Bellwhistle Hall? Where is that supposed to be? It's not here in my schedule. Shimatta! How am I going to find it in this...this..." her eyes roamed over the unbelievably huge hallways with rooms and doors in every direction. Rising panic crept up her spine.   
  
"Oh no! First it's a run-in with that brat Yui but now it's even worse. If I'm late for class, the prof's probably going to make me stand in front of the room and..."  
  
"Lost?" a deep voice asked from behind her.  
  
Yanagi turned to find herself gazing straight into a pair of almost luminous silver-grey eyes.  
  
"Yes...I mean no! I mean...," she stuttered. Standing before her was one of the most beautiful young men she'd ever set eyes upon, rivaling even her brother Soujiro and Kami-sama knows a beauty like Soujiro's couldn't be even called just exceptional.  
  
The handsome stranger flashed her a disarmingly charming smile.   
  
"I'm not really lost. I'm supposed to be in Bellwhistle Hall and I don't exactly know where Bellwhistle Hall is."  
  
"You're new here I presume?"  
  
"Hai. I'm really sorry for sounding so stupid. It's just that this school is so big and not everyone's being very...um...well...helpful and I'm kind of ashamed to ask around so..."  
  
The stranger let out a low, rich laugh. "I think calling people here 'unhelpful' is an understatement. Bellwhistle Hall you say? I can take you there, it's on my way to gym. But in return, you need to tell me your name."  
  
Yanagi offered him her most gracious smile. It wasn't everyday that someone so good-looking did a favor for her in return for such a simple thing as her name.  
  
"I'm Ya..." she started to say but an awful thought dashed across her mind. What if he's also playing games with her? What if he's another one of those snotty brats who are on the prowl for new victims? She had already fallen prey to that mean snob Yui. Who knows how many of these arrogant kids are waiting in the sidelines for someone as weak and defenseless as her for them to poke around and have fun with. The wretchedness of her day itched through Yanagi's veins like a germ. She may be naive but she certainly wasn't some idiotic dimbulb whom anyone can just walk all over on. Frustration and sudden anger coursed through her as she eyed the gorgeous figure standing in front of her, fury written all over her face.  
  
"Is there something wrong?"  
  
Yes! She wanted to shout from the top of her lungs. Yes, there is something VERY wrong with this school and everone in it. She wanted to rant and rave, scream out loud all the worry and hurt that has been tearing her up ever since she set foot in the preppy Silver Slate. But instead, her voice came out in a hollow monotone, lifeless and cold.  
  
"No. Everything is perfectly fine. Sorry for disturbing you, I must be going now." She turned on her heels to leave but the stranger grabbed her arm.  
  
"Chotto matte. Was I just hearing things a while ago or did you actually say you didn't know where you're supposed to be right now? If asking for your name is too much in exhange for telling you your way to class, then I'll let it pass this time. I could always ask you your name later on," he smiled winningly at her.  
  
"No it's not that," she replied, trying to twist her arm free of his firm hold. "I know the way to Bellwhistle Hall, I just remembered the principal showed it to me during the tour."  
  
One finely arched brow rose in mock doubt. "A tour you say? Well you must be really somebody special."  
  
Yanagi wrenched her arm free and glared at him. "And just what do you mean by that crack mister?"  
  
"Forgive my manners, fair one. I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. You see, knowing your name was preoccupying me so much. I'm Sasame," he held out one hand. Smooth, slender fingers enveloped Yanagi's in a warm handshake. Tiny bolts of electricity shot through the palm of her skin where his hand made contact. Sasame. So this beautiful stranger's name was Sasame.  
  
"I'm sorry if you're offended by that comment but you see, our ogre of a principal wouldn't bother wasting his time touring students around unless there's something in it for him. And as he's an ancient tome," he grinned showing his perfect pearl-white teeth, "I doubt if he'd do it in exchange for your name."  
  
Yanagi's knees went weak. "Will I ever stop making a fool of myself," she berated herself.  
  
"Now unless you have any other excuses, I suggest we'd better get to class. You wouldn't like detention on your first day now, wouldn't you?"  
  
"No!," she almost shrieked. "I...I mean, no, I wouldn't want detention. I've had enough trouble today to last me a month in this awful school."  
  
"Hmm...you've had a run-in with Yui I gather?"  
  
Yanagi looked at him in surprise. "How did you know that?"  
  
The stranger's grin turned into a frown, his full lips curving downwards in a seductive line.   
  
"I have my ways. If the reason why you're hesitant to give me your name is because you had that little tiff with Yui a while ago, then you'd have to grow up a bit, princess."  
  
"Don't call me that!"  
  
"Calm down. Listen to me.Yui is a snobby brat. I'd advice you to avoid her at all costs. But that doesn't mean you should let her dictate you or the people whom you want to talk to," he motioned to himself. "Let me assure you princess, that I have abslolutely nothing to do with an immature bitch like Yui. In fact, I don't care much for the girls in this fake establishment with all their grossly preppy ways. You will learn later on that Yui doesn't care much for me either so there's no more reason for you to avoid my assistance. Now shall we?" he offered his arm.  
  
Yanagi stared at him in utter confusion. Thoughts danced in her head like a rhumba rhythm gone bad. One part of her told her not to trust this man but another part of her whimpered and whined to get to class.  
  
"Besides," she reasoned out, "he did say he didn't like Yui. At least that's one thing we have in common." With that, she took his arm and let him lead her to the east wing of the enormous hall. He continued to guide her down the gleaming aisles and as they passed several rooms along the way, Yanagi noticed, with a bit of untutored excitement, that more than just a couple of eyes followed them, each one glowing with jealousy. She gazed at Sasame's finely scuplted profile and felt her heart skip a beat. He reminded her a bit of her oniisan, with his unblemished complexion and perfect features. Ok, so he was indeed impossibly attractive. But she still had to be careful. Even though he didn't like Yui, that didn't mean he wasn't like all the others who laughed at her. Just then, Sasame stopped.  
  
"This is your destination, I believe," he indicated at an open door with a silver plate cemented on its right side. "Bellwhistle Hall," the sign read.  
  
Yanagi stared at the huge room packed with students, her eyes reflecting her fears. One strong hand rested on her shoulder and Sasame bent down to whisper in her ear.  
  
"Go on, it'll be ok," his breath tickled her ears. He was so near she could feel the heat from his flushed cheeks. Yanagi could clearly hear her heart pounding violently.  
  
"A...arigatou, Sasame-san," she managed to choke out.  
  
"It was my pleasure princess."  
  
"Onegai...don't call me that."  
  
He stared at her long and hard, his steely eyes fixed on her amber ones. "Then tell me your name."  
  
"I..." Sasame gripped her shoulders.  
  
"If not, I'll just call you princess then," he bent down. Yanagi drew back instictively. He was so near it almost looked like he would kiss her. Behind them, twenty-three curious pairs of eyes watched closely.  
  
Finally, Yanagi relented. "Yanagi...my name is Yanagi."  
  
Sasame drew back and released his hold on her. "I think you'd better get inside .Odaijii ne, Yanagi."  
  
"Ha...hai!" she rushed inside the room but not without hearing his parting shot.  
  
"Ganbatte...princess."  
  
"Nani?," Yanagi turned to reprimand him for breaking his promise but the silver-eyed stunner was gone, leaving her more bewildered that she'd ever been in her entire life. 


	4. Chapter 4

~~~~~~~000~~~~~~~  
  
The final bell echoed nosiliy throughout the entire campus. Yanagi heaved a great sigh of relief, as if the Sword of Damocles which had been hanging so loosely over her head had finally been withdrawn. At last, the unmemorable day was about to end and the only thing left for her to do was to grab her stuff and flee from the web of confusion that had ensnared her ever since she set foot at Silver Slate. Luckily enough, the professor during her first period class had the decency not to point out her tardiness and the rest of the day went by without any more unlikely encounters with the school's upper crust. After she had sorted out her things, the slightly frazzled girl started to head for home. Her mind was pregnant with a million different thoughts, each one invariably ending up in only one clear image-- Sasame's perfect face. She hadn't seen him anymore right after he had brought her to Bellwhistle Hall, though she surreptitiously scoured the grounds in the hopes of running into him. She knew she acted like some silly schoolgirl fantasizing about her first high school crush, but she really didn't have much of a choice. Sasame was the only person who was halfway friendly to her and she badly needed someone to talk to. She had spent the next 6 hours after her first class in unhappy solitude and nothing was more embarrassing than having to sit all by herself in the huge, crowded cafeteria when lunchtime came. Also, it didn't hurt to add that Sasame was just about the most handsome boy she'd set her eyes on, next to her oniisan, of course. Unfortunately, Sasame seemed to have disappeared like a wisp of silver smoke. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of him and when the dismissal bell rang, the grounds swarmed with students that it was near impossible to spot him, even if he would most likely stand out in any crowd given his tall, graceful form and silver-gilt locks.  
  
Yanagi was so immersed in her daydreams that she barely noticed the trickling drops of early summer rain that started to fall from the thickening purple clouds.  
  
"Shimatta...just what I need to wind this 'wonderful day' up," she grumbled, feeling the tiny droplets pricking at her skin. "Maybe I could run all the way home before this really starts to come down," she decided. Placing her satchel over her head, she ran for home just as the larger drops of rain began to fall in huge clumps. Soon, the heavy showers started to pour as if the sky had opened a trapdoor for the water to gush through. Yanagi, who was by now soaked to the bone, rushed to the nearest cloud cover she could find--- a short, sprawling oak tree shading a soaked stone bench.   
  
"Oh damn," she cursed under her breath, fingering her wet garments. With any luck, it might rain all afternoon and she couldn't get home until dark.   
  
"Nice weather huh?"  
  
Yanagi jumped. In the few seconds she had spent worrying about how she could get home, someone had also taken refuge underneath the tree and was already sitting in the stone bench. She stared,a bit startled, at the lanky figure draped quite comfortably in the drenched seat. He was about her age and was sporting the same school uniform as Sasame's, which only meant one thing---he also went to Silver Slate.  
  
"You're the new girl, right?," he went on in a relaxed tone, as if he were sunning himself rather than dripping wet with summer rain. "We have journalism together, third period. You sit one row away from me and three seats across. Sakoshita Yanagi, am I right?"  
  
She eyed him coolly. "And just what business is it of yours?"  
  
"Nothing," he raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "I was just being friendly since the weather isn't. Is that bad?"  
  
"No," she answered dully.   
  
"Well are you?"  
  
"Am I what?"  
  
"The new girl," he replied simply.  
  
"Is that some sort of brand you wiseguys always place on innocent newomers like myself?" she spat back, eyes blazing liquid amber. "New girl huh? Does that translate to 'guinea pig'?  
  
Deep pools of russet eyes loomed over her in a split second. How did he do that, she wondered, eyes wide with amazement. The distance between her and that stone bench must be around two regular footsteps on the average.   
  
"What are you getting so uptight about?" His warm breath carressed her cheek, causing a soft blush to creep beneath the damp whiteness. Up close, she could see fine contours of his face, from the dark russet-colored eyes, straight nose, and naturally curving lips set in a disapproving line. The intense orbs bore into hers, disabling her speaking functions---or so it seemed to Yanagi.  
  
The young man let out a small, slightly annoyed sigh. "Ok, ok, maybe I was a bit tactless. I'm sorry. Now would you talk to me? It's cold enough being out here in this stupid rain without having the only person you're with freezing you out at the same time" he told her pointedly.  
  
"Go...gomen," she blurted almost incoherently. "You...you startled me a while back there. How could you move so fast?"  
  
"Practice," the guy grinned. "So I guess you're out of you're bad weather mood huh? Is it safe to talk to you now?"  
  
Cheeks flushed an intense crimson. "I didn't mean it that way. You shouldn't have called me the 'new girl.' It doesn't really sound polite you know."  
  
"Sorry bout that. I didn't know you'd get all edgy about being dubbed as the new girl. By the way I'm---"  
  
A loud honking sound interrupted them.  
  
"Sis, what the hell are you doing out here in this blasted rain?"   
  
It was Soujiro! Yanagi inched away from her equally soaked companion. No sense giving her oniisan something to tease her about. The way the two were standing so closely together, it looked like they were long-lost lovers instead of two strangers thrown together in the same spot by a sudden rainshower.  
  
Soujiro's cunning eyes took in the little scene though his face remained impassive. If he didn't like what he saw, no part of him revealed it. "Come on, get in the car. I'll take you home."  
  
Yanagi threw a hesitant glance at her waterlogged friend. "Where do you live? Maybe I can ask my oniisan to drop you off."  
  
The boy threw her a lazy smile and tucked his arms behind his head. "Don't bother, I love rain. You'd better get going. Your oniisan looks like he's going to skin me alive for even talking to you---ja!"  
  
Yanagi turned to look at Soujiro who was still waiting patiently for her to board the car. He was still wearing his little-kid smile. "No, he's not like tha---" But the boy had already crossed the sloshy streets and was happily walking away, deliberately splashing the puddles with his sodden sneakers.  
  
As Yanagi clambered inside the car, her mind was once again clouded with the many unusual events that day. She was too lost in her own reverie that she never noticed Soujiro staring fixedly at her, his mind also caught up in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. 


	5. Chapter 5

~~~~~~~000~~~~~~~  
  
It was a dark and cloudy that late Saturday afternoon and Soujiro was sitting outside the sidewalk cafe, quite alone and quite troubled. Onyx eyes were focused blankly on the steaming mug of coffee being stirred into tiny whirlpools by the mechanical motion of a copper spoon.   
  
"What the heck am I doing?," the lad rebuked himself. Ever since that day he saw his sister with that---that punk, he had thought of nothing else but finding answers to his multitude of questions. Who was that guy? More importantly, what was he doing with Yanagi and why was his little sister allowing her neat self to be soaked to the bone just to *talk*, and for the life of him Soujiro hoped that was all they were doing, to that guy? Naturally, the logical thing to do would be to ask Yanagi straight out so as to put his poor mind at peace. But something---rather some weird feeling, if you could call it that, was pulling Soujiro back from confronting her. He didn't like to admit it but he was feeling a bit *sick*, the way he was getting all worked up over---whom else? His OWN sister. And another thing was bothering him. That guy Yanagi was talking with was no ordinary student, he was damned sure of that. The bastard could actually read his thoughts,a feat that was almost impossible given Soujiro's inborn knack for holding a faultless poker face. Even his best friend Setsuna whom he had known since his childhood years could barely predict the schemes that spun inside Soujiro's mind. That guy was unlike all the rest and that made him a risky business, especially for Yanagi.  
  
"Earth to Soujiro," a familiar lilting voice broke into his reverie.  
  
"Setsuna!"  
  
"The way you're hovering over your coffee one might think you're gonna try drowning yourself in it," Setsuna quipped, a wry smile on his face. He pulled a chair right across Soujiro and propped his elbows on the table. Beads of rain had started to fall and the droplets cascaded like a string of seed pearls from the edges of the umbrella wedged in the center of the table. Soujiro merely stared at Setsuna, still wearing the same blank expression.  
  
"So what's up," his friend asked casually, taking a sip from his coffeecup. "I've been waiting for you call since early this morning. I've been hanging around the house like a zombie all day. You could have at least told me you were going out."  
  
"I wasn't planning on it," came the curt reply.  
  
"Since when do we plan things? Anyway, what's with you today? You're as friendly as a rattlesnake."  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Biting my head off the first time you see me and you call it nothing?"  
  
"You're too sensitive."  
  
"Yeah right and you're being very weird. Are you going to tell me what's going on in that warped brain of yours or do I have to knock it off you?"  
  
Soujiro looked at him, a warning glint in his eyes. Setsuna automatically clamped his mouth shut. He knew exactly when to stop pushing Soujiro to spill something he didn't want to. That look on his eyes was enough to make a murderous nut stop dead in his tracks. The sky had turned an angry black and rain had started to come down more carelessly. The ground was getting very wet, including the tiled alleys of the outdoor cafes that lined the sidestreets. Setsuna pulled his jacket tighter around him but Soujiro didn't even flinch an eyebrow.  
  
"Let's go somewhere else," Setsuna suggested, shivering slightly at the dampness that enveloped them.  
  
Soujiro didn't reply. He merely stood up and started walking. Setsuna hurriedly left some change on the table and rushed after him. They walked in silence, only the musical pitter-patter of raindrops on their clothing punctuated the air. On and on the duo sloshed through the puddled streets.Then, Soujiro came to a sudden stop.  
  
"Setsuna, how do you feel about Sarah?"  
  
"Nandatou?!," came the astonished answer.   
  
"I said, how do you feel about Sarah?"  
  
"Really Soujiro, it's pouring like crazy and we're both drenched---is this really the right time to ask that question?"  
  
"Why don't you just answer me?"  
  
The other man opened his mouth to reply but quickly withdrew. He stared at his companion, equally soaked but unlike him, a serene look reflected on his angelic features. Tiny rivulets of water tumbled from his wet hair in streams of silver, the transparent liquid catching the beams of light from the passing cars. Setsuna shook his head in disbelief. Trust Soujiro to manage to look so charmingly innocent while muddling things up at the most abnormal situations.  
  
"Well?" Soujiro prodded.  
  
Setsuna sighed in resignation. No sense fighting city hall. It was best he play along with Soujiro's unusual mood swings and the sooner the latter gets his answers, the sooner they can get out of the wretched rain.  
  
"I...I care about Sarah a lot."  
  
A raised eyebrow followed the next query. "That's all?"  
  
"That's all? What do you mean? What else should there be?"  
  
"Do you love her?"  
  
Setsuna's face went from pale due to the cold rain to ashen due to the piercing question. What is Soujiro up to?  
  
"Do we really need to discuss this now?"  
  
"I just need to know."  
  
The next answer came out in a low, snarling tone. "What for? So you could mock me? You know very well how I feel about Sarah. I think I have been more than just obvious on that point."  
  
"Don't you...don't you feel..." and he stopped. Setsuna saw his friend's eyes momentarily flutter. Hesitation perhaps? From the ultra-calm Soujiro?  
  
"Feel what? What's this really all about Soujiro?"  
  
Ebony eyes flickered in a mixture of uncertainty and what seemed to Setsuna---fear.  
  
"Don't you feel---guilty---when you're with her?"  
  
Setsuna's golden-brown eyes narrowed. "What are you driving at? If you're gonna be like those damned assholes who have nothing better to do than preach and taunt me for acting the way I do with Sarah..."  
  
"Iie," Soujiro countered, cutting short the possible outburst. "This has nothing to do with you and Sarah."  
  
"Then why the hell are you grilling me like this huh?"  
  
A small smile, almost beatifc, crept across Soujiro's fair face. The ebony eyes had cleared in an instant as if following the rhythm of the rain that had now lulled to a gentle lullaby.  
  
"Because probably---just probably---I think I understand the way you feel." 


End file.
